Counting apparatus



A. F. DIXON. COUNTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION HLED SEP?. 13. 1916.

1,356,607, Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

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y MMA/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Ali/IOS F. DIXON, OF NEWAl'BfK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COUNTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Application med September 13, 1916. Serial No. 119,856.

paratus, of which the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description.

1 This invention relates to registering or counting apparatus such as used for recording numbers of words,'characters, messages, etc. The apparatus is particularly adapted lfor use with keyboard machines` such as typewriters, perforators and the like, but may also be used in many-other fields.

Re isters or counters heretofore provided have een open to the objection that when the digitor character wheels are reset, the vibration or jar of the resetting mechanism frequently causes the wheels to move out of their proper zero or normal positions, thereby giving a false initial reading. This condition, if not noticed or corrected before the counter is started in operation, will give inaccurate results.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome the above objection and to provide reliable means for insuring positive action of the register wheels at all times.

The above and other objects of this inl Venton will Ibe fully set forth in the following description and claims, and will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of thecounting mechanism with the cover plate removed, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 1-1 of Fig. 1.

The counter may be operated directly from the key-board of a typewriter in the usual manner, or may be operated indirectly from such a key-board by means of an e1ectromagnet arranged as disclosed in a copendin application, Serial No. 30,004, filed ay 24, 1915.

The mechanism is all inclosed in a suitable casing 20, which also furnishes suitable bearings for the various shafts and supporting rods. The count is made on a plurality of character or di t wheels, 21, 22 and 23, on each of whic numerals from 0 to 9 appear around the periphery thereof as shown in Fig. 1. These wheels 21, 22 and 23 are loosely mounted on a non-rotatable shaft 24, and are properly spaced from each other and from the frame 20 b suitable collars carried by the shaft. To each digit wheel is rigidly secured a heartshaped cam 25 as best shown in Fig. V2. Each cam 25 is adapted to be engaged by a roller 26, carried by an individual lever 27,

28 or 29, to rotate the corresponding cam and thereby restore the wheelsl to normal position *as will be hereinafter more fully eX lained.

he advance rotary motion is imparted to 4number wheels 21, 22 and 23 from a shaft 34 through the agency of an actuator 36. This. actuator is pivoted at 38 to a bell crank lever 40 carried by shaft 34 and is normally held in the position indicated in F ig. #2,: by means of a spring 41 4attached to leveriQand to a rod 44 extending between the end'walls of casing 20. The free end. of actuator 36 is provided with a double ended pawl 46, which, vwhen shaft 34 is rotated, engages and rotates a ratchet wheel 45 rigidly secured toone side of the units wheei 21. When the pawl 46 is moved to`engage a tooth of the ratchet wheel 45 the units wheel 21 is rotated in the direction of the arrdw, Fig. 2, until the upwardly projectingend of pawl 46 en ages a stop pin 48 secured to the frame 20. hen this position is reached, the'units wheel has been rotated suicently to exhibit the next higher digit, and the actuator is held firmly against the ratchet wheel 45 by means of the stop pin 48 untill the lever 34 is released, whereupon the actuator 36 is returned to normal by spring 41. It will, therefore, be seen that for each step, the ratchet Wheel is stopped positively and the overthrow of the wheel is prevente The ratchet wheel is prevented from rotating backward, while the actuator is being moved back in readiness to make the next step, by a holding awl 50 forming a part of a member 51. he member 51 ,is hinged at one end on a shaft 52, the opposite end.

Aat

vided whereby, at the proper time, motion is imparted by each number wheel .to thenext succeeding or higher digits wheel. These means comprise gear wheels 60, each provided with only two teeth which are adjacent to each other, secured to each of the number wheels except the last. Each digit wheel except the First is provided with a gear wheel 62 which has as many teeth as there are numerals or characters upon its corresponding digit wheel. in the structure shown there being ten such teeth. Coperating `with each adjacent pair of gear wheels 60 and 62 is a double-pinion 64 whose teeth are adapted to engage the teeth of both gear wheels. Since, however, there are but twc adjacent teeth on each of wheels 60, it is only once during each revolution of units wheel 21 that motion will be imparted to tens wheel 22, and similarly only once during each revolution of the tens wheel 22 that a step will be imparted to hundreds wheel 23. lt is, therefore, apparent that. for every ten steps of units wheel 21, the tens wheel' 22 will be rotated one step, and for every ten steps of tens Wheel 22, the hundreds wheel 23 will be rotated one step. `While only three digit wheels are shown,this number may be increased as desired. l rThe two double pinions 64 are loosely mounted upon a shaft 66 which is carried by and between two bracket arms 67 and 68. These bracket arms are pivotally secured to a shaft 70 journaled in the sides of the casing 20.

ln order that the apparatus maybe reset after counting the words or characters of a message, means is provided under the control of the operator for simultaneously withdrawing the pinions 64 from engagement with the gear wheels 60 and 62, and for returning the numeral wheels to normal or zero position.y rllhis means comprises a manually controlled reset lever 74 which is carried by the s aft 55, mounted on the free ends of the l vers 67 and 68. vLever 74 is provided with wo pinion holding pawls 80, (only one of which can be seen in F ig. 2) which, when the lever is depressed are moved between the teeth of one of the doubleportions of each of the pinions 64 to prevent their rotation during resetting. Normally, the free endsv of levers 67 and 68 are held in an elevated position by means of springs 78, the ends of which are secured to the rod 44, so that a stop rod 79 is engaged by a portion of pawls 8O to remove these pawls from between the teeth of pinions 64 as shown in Fig. 2. Upon the completion of la count the operator ,depresses lever 74 which-moving about shaft 55 and also shaft' 70, brings it upwardly, extending pawls 80 into engagement with the pinions 64. Further depression of the lever 74 moves levers 67 and 68 downward against the action of springs 78 and causes resero? rod 82 carried by these levers to depress the levers 27, 28 and 29 until the rollers 26 carried thereby engage and rotate the heartshaped cams. rlhe cams are thus rotated until rollers 26 engage their lowest portions, whereupon lall of the digit wheels are in normal or zero position and ready for starting a new count.

ln order to prevent the digit wheels prelmaturely moving out of their Zero position means are provided .to insure theirY being held in the reset position until pinions 64V rengage gear wheels 60 and 62, in which positions the pinions, .unless positively ad# van'ced as hereinbefore described, prevent the digit wheels from rotating. Al bell crank lever 83 pivotally mounted on a shaft 84 is adapted to engage shoulders 85 of levers 27, 28 and 29 when these levers are in their lowest depressed position. The lever 83 is brought into engagement with the shoulders 85 when the levers 27, 28 and 29 are depressed, by means of a spring 86, one end of which is connected to the rod 44. rllhe purpose of this lever 83 is to hold the rollers 26 in engagement with the heartshaped cams and thereby prevent the digit wheels fromrotating or being jarred out of position until the pinions 64 are returned 4into engagement with the gear wheels 62. As soon as the leverl 74 is allowed to return, under the action of springs 78, so that thepinions 64 engage the gear wheels 62, the shaft 82 engagesan adjustable stop pin 88 carried by the bell cranklever 83 and trips the lever out from engagement with the shoulders 85'on levers 27, 28 and 29, thereby allowing these levers to return to normal position under the influence of springs 89 which are also Aattached to rod 44. rlhe stop pin 88 is adjustable to allow for wear and change in the surface orshape of the rollers 26 and the heart-'shaped cams 25, so that the levers 27, 28 and 29 will not be released and consequently the .digit lwheels will not be free to rotate before the coperatin'g with said cams to returnthe wheels to zero position, means for operating said system of levers, and means independent of said last mentioned means for automatically locking saidl system of levers until and releasing said mechanism when said operating means is returned to normal condition. l

2. A counting apparatus comprising a i plurality of register' Wheels, an actuator for tem of levers until and release said system effecting the rotation of said Wheels, a cam of levers when the operating lever is rel0 carried by each Wheel, a system of levers turned to no1-mal condition.

cooperating with said camsto return the In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe wheels to zero position, a single lever for my name this 12th day of September, A. D. operating said system of levers, a locking 1916.

lever cooperating with said system of levers and adapted to automatically lock said sys- AMOS F. DIXON. 

